


To the Victor the Spoils

by symbioticdeath



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Snowball Fight, Team Bonding, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:49:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28583037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/symbioticdeath/pseuds/symbioticdeath
Summary: The Black Widow isn't a gracious winner, but he loves her anyway.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	To the Victor the Spoils

**Author's Note:**

  * For [firelord65](https://archiveofourown.org/users/firelord65/gifts).



> Done for Firelord's and I "annual" (we skip some years because reasons) of Tropesgiving! Never mind this is two months late and with no Starbucks.

“Give up, Widow! You know this is futile!”

Bucky rolled his eyes at his captor’s dramatics. Pietro yelled over the snowbank that acted as the most defensible wall of his base. It all started as a simple training exercise that morphed into a free for all snowball fight.

Except the Twins and Clint made a pact, resulting in Bucky’s capture. He flexed his wrists again, determined not to break the rope that bound him, but stretch it just enough for it to give.

“Where is she?” Wanda asked. She scanned the area, looking for a telltale flash of red.

He chuckled.

Nat wouldn’t let anyone see her until it was too late. He tilted his head at the sound of scuffling in the snow a few feet away behind them. Clint had gone that way to try to circle around, knowing his odds despite the fact.

“She’s probably up a tree, waiting to strike,” Bucky said offhandedly. He enjoyed the alarmed look that the twins shared.

It wasn’t that they were actually afraid of the Widow, it was more the fact she was a horrible victor. If it could be bragged about, she would keep reminding everyone of it until they wanted to scream. He supposed it came as a leftover thing from the Red Room, only transformed into a fun and playful thing.

Or at least that was what Clint came up with, always up to meet his partner’s occasion whether it was air hockey or kill count in the field. Bucky liked the surge of pride that came when Natasha used one of the moves he remembered teaching her all those years ago.

“Don’t let him get into your head, Pietro.” Wanda chided.

“That’s your job,” Pietro replied. Snow kicked up into a blur signaling his departure and instant return, “She is nowhere near here.”

“Isn’t using powers against the rules?” Bucky asked. He slipped his flesh hand out of his bindings.

“When was the last time you followed the rules?” Pietro asked. “Especially when the Captain is allergic to them?”

The super soldier shrugged.

Whistling followed by a metallic sliding sound made him wince before the snow bank exploded as Mjolnir landed. Bucky heaved himself to the side, rope dangling from his metal arm then tackled Pietro to the ground. Forgetting what mercy was, he began to stuff snow down the silver haired man’s shirt.

“Wanda! Avenge me!” Pietro called out. He twitched, limbs flopping around in an exaggerated manner before he went still.

Bucky hoped he got frostbite.

Wanda’s slight form hopped onto his back. She gripped at his shoulders rather than neck like she would’ve done to an actual enemy. Bucky threw himself back into the snow, heaving enough of his weight to knock the wind out of her.

He rolled to the side, getting his feet under him, and ran past Thor. The Asgardian bellowed in victory, tossing handfuls of snow at anyone he could see. Bucky barely managed to avoid a snowball as he went into the breach.

It was quiet, too quiet.

Bucky peered around a tree to see the aftermath of Natasha’s attack. Steve had his head resting on his overturned shield, hands resting on his stomach as Darcy used his shoulder as her own pillow.

The two waved.

And it was when he knew.

“All right, Barnes, hands up or I shoot.”

Clint stood in the boughs above him, the paintball gun in his hands aimed down. The archer raised an eyebrow, making Bucky quell the desire to punch the tree. It would make the other man fall and he honestly wouldn’t feel that bad if it ended in a cracked tailbone since paintballs were against the rules.

Well, the unofficial and unspoken rule, though Bucky supposed it could be argued that it wasn’t a power per say despite Clint’s insanely good eyesight.

“You don’t have the balls, Pal.”

Clint grinned.

A splatter of purple paint bloomed across Bucky’s chest, the impact of it dulled by the thick coat he wore. He fell backwards, sending up snow when he landed, and stared dead eyed at Clint.

“That is really fucking creepy, Bucko.”

Bucky didn’t reply.

He kept staring until Darcy began to giggle. 

“Nope, looks like he’s dead dead,” Darcy said. She poked him with her boot heel.

“He’s playing possum,” Clint replied and crouched on the branch.

Bucky bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling at the shadow scaling the trunk of the tree Clint was in. He noticed Steve following his gaze, the blonde snorted.

“What?”

Snow exploded on Clint’s face.

“Situational awareness, Barton,” Natasha chided, pulling back the pouch of the slingshot mounted on her wrist, another snowball loaded up. A bag of them rode on her hip, “I took this from your little protégé before finishing her off.”

“Katie-Kate?”

“Katie-Kate.” Natasha let go.

Clint fell gracefully, landing next to Bucky, snow in his hair and on his face.

“The Lady Widow has won once again.” Thor laughed, surveying the scene, “But her Lord seems to have fallen, we shall sing many funeral songs and feast in his honor.”

Bucky snorted and sat up.

On their way back to the compound, she let him throw an arm over her shoulder.

“How come the Hawkeyes always have better toys than us?” Bucky asked her. She kept the modified slingshot, declaring it a trophy.

“It’s how they bond, coming up with them. Look at the putty arrows, not really useful in the field,” Natasha said. She leaned into him, “But hilarious when they go off on “accident.”

Bucky wasn’t in a rush to catch up with the others. It was a clear night, the snow crunched underfoot, and he had his best girl on his arm.

And when she smiled, it was the best thing in the world.


End file.
